Secondary Games and Puzzles for Summer 2021

We have a challenge a day for you throughout the summer break...

Each weekday from 19 July to 31 August, a new game or puzzle will appear on this page.

After you've had a go at the day's challenge you may be able to compare your approach to the solutions we have published, which are based on students' work.

You can also find Primary Games and Puzzles for Summer 2021.

problem

Favourite

Nine Colours

Age

11 to 16

Challenge level

Can you use small coloured cubes to make a 3 by 3 by 3 cube so that each face of the bigger cube contains one of each colour?

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Favourite

Frogs

Age

11 to 14

Challenge level

How many moves does it take to swap over some red and blue frogs? Do you have a method?

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Favourite

Amazing Card Trick

Age

11 to 14

Challenge level

How is it possible to predict the card?

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Favourite

Magic potting sheds

Age

11 to 16

Challenge level

Mr McGregor has a magic potting shed. Overnight, the number of plants in it doubles. He'd like to put the same number of plants in each of three gardens, planting one garden each day. Can he do it?

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ACE, TWO, THREE...

Age

11 to 14

Challenge level

Can you picture how to order the cards to reproduce Charlie's card trick for yourself?

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Favourite

Difference Sudoku

Age

14 to 16

Challenge level

Use the differences to find the solution to this Sudoku.

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Favourite

Connect Three

Age

11 to 16

Challenge level

In this game the winner is the first to complete a row of three. Are some squares easier to land on than others?

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A First Product Sudoku

Age

7 to 14

Challenge level

Given the products of adjacent cells, can you complete this Sudoku?

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Favourite

In the bag

Age

11 to 14

Challenge level

Can you guess the colours of the 10 marbles in the bag? Can you develop an effective strategy for reaching 1000 points in the least number of rounds?

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Favourite

LCM Sudoku

Age

14 to 16

Challenge level

Here is a Sudoku with a difference! Use information about lowest common multiples to help you solve it.

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Favourite

Multiples Sudoku

Age

11 to 14

Challenge level

Each clue in this Sudoku is the product of the two numbers in adjacent cells.

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Favourite

Nice or Nasty

Age

7 to 14

Challenge level

There are nasty versions of this dice game but we'll start with the nice ones...

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Favourite

Finding factors

Age

14 to 16

Challenge level

Can you find the hidden factors which multiply together to produce each quadratic expression?

problem

Escape from the castle

Age

7 to 14

Challenge level

Skippy and Anna are locked in a room in a large castle. The key to that room, and all the other rooms, is a number. The numbers are locked away in a problem. Can you help them to get out?

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Favourite

Cryptarithms

Age

11 to 14

Challenge level

Can you crack these cryptarithms?

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Favourite

Add to 200

Age

11 to 14

Challenge level

By selecting digits for an addition grid, what targets can you make?

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Favourite

Gabriel's Problem

Age

11 to 14

Challenge level

Gabriel multiplied together some numbers and then erased them. Can you figure out where each number was?

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Favourite

Alison's quilt

Age

11 to 14

Challenge level

Nine squares are fitted together to form a rectangle. Can you find its dimensions?

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Fruity Totals

Age

7 to 16

Challenge level

In this interactivity each fruit has a hidden value. Can you deduce what each one is worth?

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Favourite

Treasure Hunt

Age

7 to 14

Challenge level

Can you find a reliable strategy for choosing coordinates that will locate the treasure in the minimum number of guesses?

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Favourite

The Number Jumbler

Age

7 to 14

Challenge level

The Number Jumbler can always work out your chosen symbol. Can you work out how?

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Favourite

Missing Multipliers

Age

7 to 14

Challenge level

What is the smallest number of answers you need to reveal in order to work out the missing headers?

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Favourite

Charlie's delightful machine

Age

11 to 16

Challenge level

Here is a machine with four coloured lights. Can you develop a strategy to work out the rules controlling each light?

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Favourite

Square It

Age

11 to 16

Challenge level

Players take it in turns to choose a dot on the grid. The winner is the first to have four dots that can be joined to form a square.

game

Favourite

Factors and Multiples Game

A game in which players take it in turns to choose a number. Can you block your opponent?

game

Favourite

Dicey Operations

Who said that adding, subtracting, multiplying and dividing couldn't be fun?

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Favourite

Countdown

Here is a chance to play a version of the classic Countdown Game.

problem

Favourite

Got It

Age

7 to 14

Challenge level

A game for two people, or play online. Given a target number, say 23, and a range of numbers to choose from, say 1-4, players take it in turns to add to the running total to hit their target.